The Science Behind Pilates

special populations Aug 26, 2019

Pilates has such a loyal following partly because it can be customized to help you reach specific goals. Maybe you're a runner who wants to improve their time and prevent injuries. Or maybe you use Pilates exercises to improve specific pathologies like Pelvic Floor Dysfunction. The list goes on and on!

A lot of research has been done to help us understand the proven benefits of Pilates within certain goals. One of our favorite resources for research studies is Pilates Science. They organize Pilates articles by category and update their research monthly. Possibly the best part is that the articles are written in plain, easy-to-read English!

The Pilates Protocols chapter of the Pilates Encyclopedia has exercise lists organized by movement goals, athletic needs, and specific pathologies. Within each post, we add research studies to help you dive into the science behind the guidelines that are given.

Check out this example from our post on Pelvic Floor Dysfunction:

If you have a specific goal, looking at research studies can help give you the knowledge to reach it. Our exercise lists for movement, athletic, and pathology goals is constantly growing and currently covers:

Breathing
Spinal Extension
Spine Rotation
Lumbar Flexion
Thoracic Flexion
Lateral Flexion of the Spine
Trunk Stability and Core Strength
Ankle Stability + Mobility
Hip Abduction
Hip Adduction
Hip Circumduction: 360-Degree Hip Mobility
Hip Dissociation
Hip Extension
Hip External Rotation
Hip Flexion
Hip Internal Rotation
Lateral Hip Stability
Lower Extremity Alignment
Tibial Torsion
External Rotation of the Shoulder
Shoulder Flexion
Width Across the Chest
Shoulder Protraction + Retraction
Alpine (Downhill) Skiing
Baseball
Climbing Stairs
Cycling/Spinning
Hiking
Lifting (Heavy Things)
Running
Swimming
ACL Injury
Diastasis Recti
Hip Replacement
Knee Replacement
Low Bone Density (Osteopenia + Osteoporosis)
Lumbar Disc Herniation
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Scoliosis
Shoulder Impingement

Inside the Pilates Encyclopedia membership, we have a whole chapter called “Pilates Protocols” in which we list appropriate exercises for injuries and pathologies.